New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-12
SMASH-UP ON THE ELEVATED
TRAVEL DELAYED FOR MANY HOURS.

BAGGAGE-CAR THROWN FROM THE MIDDLE TRACE
IN FlFTY-THTRD-sT. AND THE UP AND DOWN
TRACKS BLocKED-NO PASSENGERS
HURT-LIrTLE INFORMATION
GIVEN OUT.
There was an accident on the Sixth Avepue Ella.
waited Railroad last evening that fortunately did
not resnlt IN the loss Of life. Probably tho only
thing that prevented this was that the trains which
caused the accident were moving at slow speed Il
occurredaboat $50 feet west of the fifty -ihird-st
station, between Eighth and Ninth aves From
this station it has been the custom for several years
to run a baggage or freight car to the One-hun-
dred.and-tfty- -ffth-st station connecting with tie
New-York City and Northern Rairosd. The bag
gage car came down from Harlem last evening to
get load of freight and while waiting it stood up
on a middle track, which 10 connected with both
the uptown and the do ntown tracks by switches
II is the duty of the conductor Of the baggage
to open the switch and also see that it is closed.
To let the car on the middle track the conductor
opened tho switch near Ninth-ave.' and tho bag
gage-car with the engine tho east end ran on the
middle track about half way to the Fifty y-third-st
station.
Exactly what happened after, it " as exceedingly
difficult to find out None of the employees of the
company would say word about it, claiming that
to do 50 would forfeit their positions. Colonel
Rain, who was on the track, refused to make any
statement and would not reporters. As far ~
could be learned from people living in the neigh
bOrhood and those who were near by when the ac-
cident occurred. about 1885 p. m after the bag
gage-car and engine had come to a standstiil
downt train came dasbng around the Ninth
curve which is a sharp one. Instead of follow
ing the down track when it came 70 the switch
which had been opened to allow the baggags-car to
pass to the middle track. it gave sudden lurch
t. no;n
about half speed as the speed is always checked
when rounding a curve. The engineer Of the
train put on the brakes hard. but its speed could
not be entirely checked and it into the west
end of the baggage.car knocking that completely
of the track and turning it upon its side on the up
track. The engine which upon the east end OF
the baggage was also knocked of the track.
According to the statement of several people.
when tue down train had just turned into Fifty
thlrd-st an I'D tram had left the Fifty-third-st.
station md was moving slowly array when the
baagaqe-car was knocked on the uptown track.
Before the engine could be checked 1t had struck
the baggagecar, but only gave it light push
and sent 1t crosswse on both the tracks. Other
people say that both ends of the sw itch were open
and that both the up and the down train ran on
the middle track and struck the bagg age-csr and
engine about the same time The engine Of the
| baggage ge-caI was smashed IN on the east end and
was knocked over on the down track. while the
baggage-car lay on its side on the mp track.
While there were different stories as to what
caused the accident everyone agreed that the
switch was open at the west end and that
there was gross carelessness on someone's pa-t
| Police Officer Holland, who was on the spot soon
after the accident, tried to get some information
about 1t. but all that the employees wOnld tell him
was that the affair was small Que Simply tnat
| the baegage-car while moving slowly. had its for
ward trucks thrown from tine track. Policemen
were stationed beneath the track TO keep people
| away as from the position OF the bagglge-car ana
engine 1t seemed likely that they would fall TO the
| street.
Immediately after the collision the uptown and
| downtown trains, which were not damaged. polie4
away from the wreck. The trains were crowded
with passengers, none of whom were injured. mere
was great excitement on the down train, but as
pulled away quickly after the shock, the fears
injured was Harry White, the baggagemas'
ter. He saw. the down train coming
ans %as ,%'aRRsff ,sH9Rsfy 'nSS nnrt a" in the ios The
engine on The baggage car was Nc. 4s, and Thomas
Ms was anS the SAID
TO be No. 3S5. The names, Of the conductors and
engineers could not be learned nor could tine
tfaei' the switch be ascertained. Ihe accident
is said TO be due to his carelessness.
wrecking engine Came to the rescue three
quarters OF an hour after the accldent. and mum.
Der of men were busily at work in short time In
| getting the baggage-car upright with ]ackscrews
and heavy levers. Colonel Ham & was pres, res
! asked 10 make a statement he said positively thao
he would not: 80 one Of his employees said VINO
| went to him at the request o. q reporter, he
| gave positive orders not TO allow anyone on the
| track.
The accident blockaded the road and the passen-
gers going to Harlem were put oil the trains at the
Flfty-third-st. station and had to walk 10 the sta
tion at aInth-ave. and Fifty-ninfh-,t. The down
trans stopped at Eff ynintb-s and the passengers
| had 70 walk 10 the Fifty-thirdst station. .
| Tickets were sold for Harlem, as usual. on tho
! downtown stations and there was great indigna-
tiou among the Harlem passengers, as tram after
| al, lad tsrlf at
There we're means of transfer to fifty-nnt''-st.
and Nlnth-avs. aud the passengers had 70 walk.
away from the wreck. Principal RoJ r. of Gram.
mar Schol No. }, ~nO lives at Ninth-ave. ana
Eighty second-st.. was one OF those who vowed ven:
eeance on the elevated road. He threatened suie
Tor damages. w. j. /. Hunsden, the editor ana
proprietor of Progress, also enraeed and assured
a number of people, whose names he took as Wit
nesses that he womb press sut against The road,
if il cost him $1,000 At the FIfty-ninth-st sta
ton MANY passengers got ride To Harlem oy rep
reser ting themselves as transferred from the other
side of he wreck. ..,
Men were kept busy clearing way the wreck until
earlv this morning The Harlem trans ran down
Nuth-ave. as nsiial ana travel down towc was
james Ford, of No. $50 West Fifth-fourth-st,
was taken to the Roosevelt Hosplts! last night
lie ,a,d ne was an employe of the Elevated Rail
road Company, working as machiniSt ,n sno shugS
at One-hundred- -and-tifths AMI Ninth ave; nc
admitted having been on down tram aoout
o'clock but said that ho hal injured ms thigh oy
fall from one Of the station platforms. As usual
there was the greatest reteence among s.,;ws .aS
than those az the tighth-ave and Fitty-thir'i-st
station Somo of the people on the street below
said that Officer MEG nley, of the Iwenty-second
Police Precinct had come around and cautioned
them not TO say ANYTHING of the accident ,,,.
MIR Ahern, tho keeper of beer>hop in FIFTY
third-st SAID hat two men were taken on In car
ria gc shortly after the accident. One of them, he
thnnphr was Harry White. the baggagsmastsr OF
the Northern Railroad train One OF the empioycs
of dnty admitted that two men were actually m
ur~d. Colonel Hahn was not ut ms nome IN the
Barcelona Flats and the walchman said that 10
had cone down to the scene OF the accident.